


Countdown to...

by Nakira Taisho (nakirataisho)



Series: Miraculous One-Shots [8]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, ML Secret Santa, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, because I have a niche I can't get out of, episode rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakirataisho/pseuds/Nakira%20Taisho
Summary: Everyone has a 'soulmate timer' that counts down to your first interaction with your soulmate...even if that interaction is a fencing duel.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: Miraculous One-Shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/744561
Comments: 2
Kudos: 125





	Countdown to...

The timer wasn't always a big deal. Heck, some people completely ignored their timer if they found someone they fell in love with before the timer stopped. Some people were in the 'wrong place' when their timer got to zero and it 'recalculated' so they didn't even believe that whatever magic the universe had put on humanity to make the timers exist in the first place was even real (many of them turned to conspiracy theories in those cases). Marinette on the other hand was one of the believers, as it were.

She'd even gone so far as to calculate the exact date and time her timer would reach zero. Early afternoon in the middle of her first semester of Seconde. She always thought it was a strange time to meet her soulmate, especially after she met Adrien at the beginning of Troisième and started to fall hard for him. And the timer itself made her worry about her secret identity when she became Ladybug. Chat Noir seemed to be one of those that didn't agree with the timers, considering his endless flirtations.

And she _would_ admit that some of the couples that had been born from the existence of the timers was...odd. She'd even heard of situations where one person's timer stopped but the other's didn't and it was almost always big news. It was enough to make others wonder about the mechanics of it all, but Marinette stood firm in her faith in the timer's 'judgment'. After all, her parents were soulmates and the way they described their first meeting always seemed so magical to her.

Towards the beginning of Seconde, she'd taken up an interest in fencing, hoping to diversify her fighting style as Ladybug. And on the very day her timer was meant to reach zero, there were try-outs for the class in D'Argencourt Fencing Academy. She decided to take a chance and go to the try-outs. Her timer wouldn't be reaching zero until after the event was over anyways, so there wasn't much risk of her being 'in the wrong place'.

So, she made some custom fencing gear with her signature apple blossoms so she could be picked out in the crowd of prospective students and showed it off to her parents, who wished her luck both with the try-outs and meeting her soulmate. She left the apartment with butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

Kagami was on the fence about her timer. As it steadily counted down, she had a growing dread that she wouldn't be one of the lucky ones to fall in love with her soulmate. It would have been her luck that her timer would reach zero and the other person's would just keep on counting. Or worse, she'd long figured out that she was a lesbian and she was terrified that her so-called soulmate would be a boy. She knew if her mother found out that her timer had stopped and her 'soulmate' also had their timer stop she would be made to date and eventually marry them.

Her family moved to Paris to be closer to a few of the Tsurugi Holdings business interests and she'd been attending the private school that her family owned. And as her timer was getting closer and closer to zero, she was told to get into her fencing gear and go to some try-out at one of the top fencing schools in Paris. She watched the numbers ticking down anxiously as the car brought her closer and closer to what she assumed would simultaneously be a victory for her family's fencing history and the doom of any potential freedom she might have achieved in Paris. After all, no one in Paris knew who she was, where in Tokyo she had been known throughout school, kendoka and European fencing circles as a Tsurugi. And with her mother so focused on the family business, she might have been able to sneak out or make friends before her family reputation caught up with her.

She found herself anxiously watching the timer on her arm as the car drove her to the school.

* * *

Marinette found a helmet that fit and went out to join the others waiting for the try-outs to start. She _wanted_ to fence with Adrien but all of the students were wearing their helmets already. Mr D'Argencourt explained the event and the students lined up on the mats that were set out. She resigned herself to fencing with a stranger before one of the boys tapped her shoulder.

"Looking for someone?" he questioned and she sighed.

"Well, I wanted to fence with Adrien, but with everyone's faces covered I can't find him," she told him and he laughed. She scowled and he lifted his helmet. "Adrien, you jerk," she teased him and he grinned.

"I didn't know you were into fencing, Marinette."

"Well, yeah," she sighed. "My Quanfa master suggested branching out in weapons studies," she explained. Adrien led her to a mat and got in position. She followed suit and they both lowered their helmets.

"Well, your stance is good," Adrien commented. The instructor barked commands and they got started. Marinette watched Adrien carefully, noticing his left foot moving forward just before he lunged at her. She slipped to the side and aimed her sabre at his exposed chest.

"Touché!" D'Argencourt declared and Marinette glanced over to see that she was the only one that had managed to touch her opponent. "Point! Continue."

"Excellent form!" Adrien praised and they got back into position. "En garde."

Marinette took a steadying breath and this time made the first move, lunging on her right foot. Adrien parried her blade but she immediately turned it into a second attempt to hit him, aiming for Adrien's stomach that he'd left open. Her blade was blocked again and she took a different angle, shifting her weight to her left foot and striking his chest almost at the same time his blade touched her stomach.

"Well done," he laughed. "Point for you."

"But we struck at the same time," she argued. "That would be a _Simultané_ and potential point abstention."

"You took the initiative," Adrien defended. "I was only able to parry or riposte, so you get the point."

"Okay then," she sighed and they got ready to begin again. Suddenly, the doors to the building were slammed open and all eyes turned to see a young person in bright red gear, their head already covered by a fencing mask and carrying a red handled sabre enter the space.

"Hey, you!" the person shouted, stepping onto the scoring box. "Are you Mr D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I've come to join your team," they declared.

"Only the best are admitted here, knave," D'Argencourt scoffed.

"And I was," they retorted. "Everywhere I went."

"Thou hast nerve!" the instructor gasped. "All right! I may consider your admission shall you defeat one of my students." The fencer stepped off the box and seemed to stare the gathering down.

"Which one of you is the best combatant?" they demanded and all heads turned to Adrien. Adrien paused, but nodded and started to step forward.

"Marinette," D'Argencourt said and a collective gasp came from the students. Marinette stared dumbfounded at the teacher. Did that mean she made the team with only two bouts against Adrien? "Please give our visitor a lesson."

"Guess that means you make the team," Adrien hissed, pushing her forward. She made a nervous noise and chanced a glance at her watch. It was already much later than she'd originally anticipated this event going. A discreet look at the timer on her arm showed the numbers teetering dangerously towards zero.

"Okay," she finally agreed and stepped up to the scoring box. She exchanged touches with the strange fencer to test the box and got ready. Once they were in position and exchanged the greeting, she tuned out the murmurs from the students and others that had been trying out. All that mattered was proving that this apparently snap decision was justified.

"Prêt...allez!" D'Argencourt declared and they were off. Marinette saw the mystery fencer moving forward with their left foot, so she lunged on her right. The buzzers went off simultaneously as their attacks connected at the same time. "Simultané!" the instructor called after a second of deliberation. "Par un toucher."

The two of them moved back to starting positions to further murmurs from the crowd. They were instructed to begin again and Marinette dodged the lunge that almost immediately followed. She quickly thrust her sabre at her opponent's chest as they aimed for her side. The buzzers went off at the same time again. D'Argencourt declared an abstention and the two of them went back to the starting positions.

"Wait," the fencer snapped as a third round was about to be started. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine."

"Marinette?" D'Argencourt questioned and she nodded, unplugging herself. This person wanted to go toe-to-toe with _Ladybug_ in a free-range fencing match, so be it. As they loosened up to begin, she glanced at her timer to find it sitting squarely at zero. It must have gotten there when the two of them greeted each other for the first round. She shook her head and turned her focus to her opponent.

The match was started and Marinette dodged a lunging strike, rolling towards a pillar. Another dodge put her opponent's strike on the pillar and she swung around to try and strike their back. Her strike was dodged and the two blades struck each other as Marinette was driven to the stairs, only able to block the other's fierce strikes. Marinette leapt onto the stair rail and reached out with her free hand to catch the upper level's rail, hoisting herself out of the way of a sweeping attack.

She swung up to balance on the rail and attacked, aiming to strike while she had the high ground, but her blade was blocked and she was immediately met with a counter attack likely meant to disarm her or hit her chest. She blocked the attack and used her nearly lost balance to flip over her opponent and towards the library, maintaining the high ground.

With a frustrated grunt, the other fencer chased her up the stairs and attempted a strike when they were level with each other. Marinette blocked and quickly retaliated, driving the stranger into the library. They pushed a book cart towards her and she dodged out of the way, letting it roll out onto the landing. Their blades connected a few more times before they parted to catch their breath.

"Let's finish this," the stranger growled and Marinette nodded, lunging at them. A few more quick strikes found both of their blades finally making contact with their bodies at seemingly the same time again. Marinette noticed Adrien standing in the library door and the fencer turned to face him. "Who got the first hit?!" they demanded. "Who?!"

Her friend paused, looking between the two of them. She could almost hear the gears whirring in his mind as he likely replayed what he'd just witnessed and carefully tried to make a decision.

"Well, Adrien?" D'Argencourt demanded. The blond sighed and looked at Marinette.

"Marinette struck first," he said firmly and the teacher immediately started celebrating. Marinette removed her helmet and extended a hand to the stranger. They removed their helmet and Marinette's breath caught. This girl was so beautiful, but she was confused by the relief that seemed to be in her expression.

"My name's Marinette," she said softly, as if it hadn't been obvious. The fencer smiled a little.

"Kagami," she said in return and checked her arm, the timer hadn't just reached zero, it had completely disappeared. Marinette smiled gently and showed her own arm and the spot where her timer used to be. "It's nice to meet you."

"Mlle," D'Argencourt said, clearing his throat as he approached the pair. "I shall make an exception to my rule for the day and admit you in my class. If you're still interested."

"That would be fine. I could improve my skills here," Kagami said lightly.

* * *

The day after the try-outs, Marinette and Kagami met at a little boba shoppe for a 'date' to get to know each other. Sure, their first meeting hadn't been magical or ironically romantic, but it had been fun. She'd learned that the decision had been made for her to face Kagami because she'd gotten two points on Adrien in their practice bouts and as he was apparently the most skilled student before, that was enough of an achievement for D'Argencourt to decide to admit her to the team. And she'd only picked him as her partner because they were friends.

"So, I told my mother what happened yesterday," Kagami sighed as they stood in line to order their tea.

"And? How did she react to me being a girl?"

"She was...nonchalant about that part. It was my loss that she was concerned about. Losing isn't really an option in my family."

"Adrien only declared me the winner because of initiative," Marinette argued. "Mr D'Argencourt is a professional referee and _he_ couldn't decide."

"You make a fair point," Kagami laughed. "And I would have been disappointed if I'd been able to easily defeat the person my timer hit zero on."

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


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